Health workers denied special paid pandemic leave if they contract Covid outside of work
Frontline workers have been told they must provide proof their Covid infection occurred at work to access special pandemic leave.
Victoria
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Frontline health workers are being denied special paid pandemic leave if they contract Covid-19 outside of work.
Staff at the Northern Hospital say they are being forced to prove they contracted Covid at work to access the leave.
Some nurses warned the policy, which contradicts state government guidelines, would force them to breach isolation requirements or forfeit a week’s pay.
“If I got Covid, I don’t have enough sick leave so I wouldn’t get paid for a week,” one said.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch) acting secretary Paul Gilbert said the union was addressing the issue.
“Under the Victorian Department of Health’s employment guidance, which hasn’t changed since November 2021, special pandemic leave is available to full and part-time public sector nurses and midwives if they are required to quarantine or if they have Covid symptoms, pending a RAT or PCR test outcome,” he said.
“We are aware that Northern Health appear to be misreading the guidance as of earlier this week, and we’ve taken steps to ensure that this misinformation is countered.
“ANMF is not aware of any decision to deviate from the Health Department guidance.
“There have, however, been some internal emails to staff from some managers at Northern that are not consistent with the guidance, and this has generated unnecessary distress among members.”
Mr Gilbert said if health workers’ personal leave was exhausted, health services had the discretion to provide special leave.
“We are extremely concerned about the accelerated community transmission of Covid-19, which has caused the simultaneous increase of Covid hospitalisations and the furlough of thousands of nurses and midwives,” he said.
“The impact on the nurses and midwives left behind cannot be overstated.
“We’re hopeful the recent changes to testing and restrictions, access to a third vaccination for both our members and the community, and people changing their own behaviour will slow the spread of Covid-19 and ease the pressure on those working overtime and double shifts to cover roster shortfalls.”
Mr Gilbert said the union had also raised concerns with the department over a lack of RAT supplies available to nurses at the hospital after an internal email directed staff to use their own personal supplies.
“ANMF raised this with the department yesterday and we’ve been reassured that, if not already the case, health services will have sufficient RATs for staff, at no cost to staff, in coming days,” he said.
A spokesman for Northern Health said staff who tested positive or were furloughed due to a workplace exposure could access special leave.
“Staff who test positive as a result of a non-workplace exposure are required to access personal leave entitlements, as they would with any other illness,” the spokesman said.
Originally published as Health workers denied special paid pandemic leave if they contract Covid outside of work
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